Sealing devices are used for example for bridging expansion joints between concrete slabs in order to cover the expansion joint and to prevent the penetration of foreign bodies or liquids on the one hand and to allow secure driving and walking on parking decks without placing excessive loads on the mutually opposite edges of the structural bodies. Generally, known sealing devices comprise two anchoring units which are each connected with the structure bodies at mutually opposite edges and between which a substantially elastic bridging unit is braced.
Each anchoring unit substantially consists of an integral flange and a lapped flange, with the integral flange being fixedly connected with the respective structure body by means of screwed connections for example. The lapped flange can be connected with the integral flange in such a way that the bridging unit is clamped in a gap formed between the two. Generally known are sealing apparatuses in which the lapped flange is connected with the integral flange by means of a screwed connection penetrating the bridging unit. Such sealing apparatuses have proven to be disadvantageous because an opening is mandatorily produced with the penetration of the bridging unit which allows the penetration of humidity to the integral flange and to the expansion joint.
The screwed connected ranging from the surface of the anchoring unit to the integral flange further constitutes an electrically as well as thermally conductive connection to the structure body. Such conductive connections are frequently undesirable both for security reasons as well as bridges for the cold.
A sealing apparatus of the above generic kind is known from EP 1 158 101 A2. The integral flange comprises a dovetail-like groove through whose opening cross section at first the bridging unit and then a clamping element connected with the lapped flange can be guided during the mounting. By shortening a press element, the clamping element is elastically compressed and widens in the direction of the width of the groove. In this way it presses against the mutually opposite bearing surfaces of the groove that in this region a non-positive connection is achieved between the integral flange, the bridging unit, the clamping element and the lapped flange. The use of a dovetail connection with an elastic clamping element already eliminates the disadvantageous penetration of the bridging unit and further facilitates and accelerates the mounting of the sealing apparatus.
One disadvantage of the sealing apparatus according to EP 1 158 101 A2 is the fact, however, that the connection of the lapped flange with the integral flange, and thus also the fixing of the bridging unit, is considerably less tight as in known screwed connections. It is feared that when driving over such a sealing apparatus transversally to the expansion joint, especially in the case of extreme acceleration or braking processes of truck vehicles for example, the clamping element pressed into the groove would be unable to withstand the occurring shearing forces transversally to the longitudinal axis of the sealing apparatus could be torn out of said groove with the lapped flange.